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Abstract:

A shielded connector includes an inner housing to which terminals
connected to a shielded electric wire is attached, a shield shell that
includes a shield part and a barrel part, and a shield shell cover that
covers a shielded wire exposure part of the shielded electric wire. The
shield shell cover has a pair of insertion lap parts which are inserted
between two side surfaces of the inner housing and two side surfaces of
the shield part. A backlash preventing unit is provided on a top surface
and a bottom surface of the inner housing and parts of the shield part
which opposite to the top surface and the bottom surface of the inner
housing so as to prevent a shaking between the inner housing and the
shield shell.

Claims:

1. A shielded connector comprising: an inner housing to which terminals
connected to a shielded electric wire is attached; a shield shell that
includes a shield part which covers the inner housing and a barrel part
which fixes a sheath part of the shielded electric wire; and a shield
shell cover that covers a shielded wire exposure part of the shielded
electric wire which is fixed to the shield shell, wherein the shield
shell cover has a pair of insertion lap parts which are inserted between
two side surfaces of the inner housing and two side surfaces of the
shield part which opposite to the two side surfaces of the inner housing;
and wherein a backlash preventing unit is provided on a top surface and a
bottom surface of the inner housing and parts of the shield part which
opposite to the top surface and the bottom surface of the inner housing
so as to prevent a shaking between the inner housing and the shield
shell.

2. The shielded connector according to claim 1, wherein the backlash
preventing unit includes a retaining projection which is provided on the
top surface of the inner housing, and a retaining recess which is formed
at an edge of the shield part and holds the retaining projection in the
widthwise direction of the retaining recess.

Description:

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a shielded connector.

[0002] A shielded connector is known which is connected to a
multi-stranded shielded cable which has a plurality of signal lines in
which conductors in which a plurality of wires are twisted are covered
with insulative sheath layers (for example, refer to JP-A-6-223909 and
JP-A-2001-332356).

[0003] For example, a shielded connector disclosed in JP-A-2001-332356
includes a plurality of terminals which are connected to signal lines
which are exposed at the end of a shielded cable, an insulator body
(inner housing) which accommodates and holds these terminals, a shielding
metal cover (a shield shell and a shield shell cover) which covers the
outside of the insulator body and all the exposed parts of the electric
wire connecting parts of the terminals and the signal lines, and an
insulative cover housing (outer housing) which is attached to the outside
of the shielding metal cover.

[0004] The above shielding metal cover has, for example, a pair of
U-shaped cover bodies which are engaged with each other. A barrel part
(caulking part) which caulks and clamps the shielding layer of the
shielded cable is adjacently provided at the back end of one of the
U-shaped cover bodies (shield shell). The insulator body into which the
terminals connected to the signal lines are accommodated and held is
attached to one of the U-shaped cover bodies, and after the shielding
layer of the shielded cable is caulked and clamped by the barrel part,
two side plates of the other U-shaped cover body (shield shell cover) are
assembled by being piled up from the outside of two side plates of the
one of the U-shaped cover bodies to form the shielding rectangular
pipe-like body.

[0005] That is, after the shielding layer of the shielded cable is caulked
and clamped by the barrel part of the shield shell, the exposed parts of
the signal lines near the caulking part are covered by the shield shell
cover, so that all of the exposed parts of the electric wire connecting
parts of the terminals which are accommodated and held in the inner
housing and the signal lines can be covered by the shielding metal cover,
and a shielded connector having a good shielding performance can be
obtained.

[0006] When the shielded connector is downsized, it is highly desired to
control the size of the shielding metal cover. Therefore, the two side
plates of the shield shell cover which are assembled by being piled up
from the outside of the two side plates of the shield shell are desirable
to be assembled by being piled up from the inside of the two side plates
of the shield shell. Thus, it is necessary to reduce the width of the
inner housing to be smaller than the interval between the two side plates
of the shield shell to a degree that the two side plates of the shield
shell cover can enter.

[0007] However, if the inner housing is smaller than the shield shell to a
degree of the two side plates of the shield shell cover, when the
shielding layer of the shielded cable is caulked with the barrel part
before the shield shell cover is attached, the inner housing might
produce a shake inside the shield shell. If a shake of the inner housing
occurs at the time of the caulking operation, the precision of the
caulking may be reduced.

SUMMARY

[0008] The present disclosure is made in view of the above situation, and
the object of the invention is to provide a shielded connector which can
be downsized by controlling the shake of an inner housing when a shielded
electric wire is caulked to a shield shell.

[0009] The above object of the present disclosure is achieved with the
following structures.

[0010] (1) There is provided a shielded connector comprising:

[0011] an inner housing to which terminals connected to a shielded
electric wire is attached;

[0012] a shield shell that includes a shield part which covers the inner
housing and a barrel part which fixes a sheath part of the shielded
electric wire; and

[0013] a shield shell cover that covers a shielded wire exposure part of
the shielded electric wire which is attached to the shield shell,

[0014] wherein the shield shell cover has a pair of insertion lap parts
which are inserted between two side surfaces of the inner housing and two
side surfaces of the shield part which opposite to the two side surfaces
of the inner housing; and

[0015] wherein a backlash preventing unit is provided on a top surface and
a bottom surface of the inner housing and parts of the shield part which
opposite to the top surface and the bottom surface of the inner housing
so as to prevent a shaking between the inner housing and the shield
shell.

[0016] According to the shielded connector of the structure of the above
(1), the inner housing is formed to be smaller than the shield shell by a
degree that the insertion lap parts of the shield shell cover can be
inserted to the outside of the two side surfaces of the inner housing.
That is, the gaps for the insertion lap parts are formed between the two
side surfaces of the inner housing and the two side surfaces of the
shell. When the terminals are attached to the inner housing, the shielded
electric wire is derived from the inner housing. The sheath part of the
shielded electric wire is caulked and fixed to the barrel part of the
shield shell to which the inner housing is attached. In this case, the
above gaps are formed between the inner housing and the shield shell, but
the backlash preventing unit is provided between the top and bottom
surfaces of the inner housing and the shield part of the shield shell,
and the inner housing will not produce a shake inside the shield shell in
the widthwise direction. Thereby, a highly precise caulking can be
performed, and it is possible to downsize the shielded connector by
inserting the insertion lap parts to the inside of the shield shell.

[0017] (2) For example, the backlash preventing unit includes a retaining
projection which is provided on the top surface of the inner housing, and
a retaining recess which is formed at an edge of the shield part and
holds the retaining projection in the widthwise direction of the
retaining recess.

[0018] According to the shielded connector of the structure of the above
(2), with the simple structure in which the retaining projection of the
inner housing is locked to the retaining recess of the shield part, a
shake of the inner housing can be controlled.

[0019] According to the shielded connector of the present disclosure, when
the shielded electric wire is fixed with the barrel part of the shield
shell, the shake of the inner housing inside the shield shell can be
controlled. As a result, the inner housing can be smaller than the shield
shell to a degree that the insertion lap parts of the shield shell can
enter, and the shield shell can be downsized.

[0020] The present disclosure has been briefly described above. Further,
details of the invention will become more apparent after embodiments of
the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments")
are read with reference to the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The above objects and advantages of the present disclosure will
become more apparent by describing in detail preferred exemplary
embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0022] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a shielded connector
according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shield shell to which an inner
housing is attached before a barrel part is caulked;

[0024] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of main parts which indicates the
engagement of a lock projection on the housing top surface shown in FIG.
2 with a retaining recess which is formed at the back edge of the shield
shell;

[0025]FIG. 4 is a sectional perspective view of the shield shell to which
an inner housing is attached when viewed from below;

[0026] FIG. 5 is a perspective view before a shield shell cover is
attached to the shield shell;

[0027]FIG. 6 is a perspective view in which the shield shell cover is
attached to the shield shell;

[0028]FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shield shell in
which the inner housing is accommodated; and

[0029] FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a mating connector, and FIG. 8B is
a sectional view of the mating connector shown in FIG. 8A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Below, a shielded connector according to an embodiment of the
invention is explained with reference to the figures.

[0031] A shielded connector 11 according to the present embodiment can be
preferably used as a shielded connector at the cable side of USB 2.0
(differential connector for high speed transmission).

[0033] The terminals 13 are molded with sheet metal processing. In this
embodiment, each of the terminals 13 is a female terminal which has a
box-like electrical contact part 27 shown in FIG. 7. A contact strip 29
is formed inside the electrical contact part 27, and the contact strip 29
contacts with a board-like tab 31 of a mating male terminal shown in FIG.
8B. A terminal bent part 35 which a housing lance 33 to be described
below locks is formed at the upper part of the electrical contact part
27. A terminal installing shielded electric wire 39 is formed when the
terminals 13 are connected to a shielded electric wire 37.

[0034] It is necessary to strip the shielded electric wire 37 of the skin
47 of a sheath part 43 and a shield foil 45 at a connecting region 41
with the terminals 13. Because the part where the skin 47 is striped may
cause an impedance mismatch and make the transmission performance worse,
it is preferred to make the part where the skin 47 is striped as short as
possible.

[0035] The inner housing 15 is molded of synthetic resin material. The
inner housing 15 includes a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers
49 (refer to FIG. 7) into which the terminals 13, which are crimped to
the ends of a plurality of shielded wires of the shielded electric wire
37, are inserted. The terminals 13 are attached by being inserted into
the terminal accommodating chambers 49 which are formed in the inner
housing 15, respectively. The terminal accommodating chamber 49
communicates with a tab insertion opening 67 which opens in the front of
the inner housing 15 shown in FIG. 7. The rear of the terminal
accommodating chamber 49 opens at the rear part of the inner housing 15
as a terminal insertion opening 69. A cantilevered beam-like housing
lance 33 is provided inside the terminal accommodating chamber 49. The
housing lance 33 locks with the terminal bent part 35 of the terminal 13
which is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 49 from the
rear in the terminal insertion direction so that the terminal 13 is fixed
in the terminal accommodating chamber 49 by being regulated from
dropping.

[0036] The front folder 17 has a front plate 71 shown in FIG. 7, and is
attached by being inserted into the front part of the inner housing 15. A
plurality of windows 73 corresponding to the tab insertion openings 67 of
the inner housing 15 are formed at the front plate 71. A plurality of
lance regulating pieces 75 are protruded from the front plate 71, and the
lance regulating pieces 75 are inserted into flexible spaces of the
housing lances 33. When the lance regulating pieces 75 are inserted into
the flexible spaces, the movement of the housing lances 33 in the
unlocking direction is regulated, and the terminals 13 are dually locked.

[0037] The shield shell 19 is formed with sheet metal processing by using
sheet metal materials. The shield shell 19 has a rectangular pipe-like
shield part 77 which covers the inner housing 15 when the inner housing
15 is inserted inside. Behind the shield part 77, a barrel part 79 which
is a crimping part that crimps and fixes the sheath part 43 of the
shielded electric wire 37 is adjacently provided. The inner housing 15,
into which the terminals 13 of the terminal installing shielded electric
wire 39 are attached by being inserted, is inserted into the shield shell
19, and as shown in FIG. 5, the sheath part 43 of the terminal installing
shielded electric wire 39 is caulked and fixed to the barrel part 79.

[0038] The shield shell cover 21 is attached to the shield shell 19 to
cover the shield shell 19 from above. As shown in FIG. 6, the shield
shell cover 21 is fixed to the shield part 77 by locking locking holes 81
which are formed at two sides of the shield shell cover 21 to locking
claws 83 which are formed at two sides of the shield part 77.

[0039] The outer housing 23 is molded of synthetic resin material into a
rectangular pipe shape. A shell installing space 85 is formed inside the
outer housing 23. The inner housing 15 which is covered by the shield
shell 19 is inserted into the shell installing space 85. The rear folder
25 is locked in the shell installing space 85 at the rear part of the
outer housing 23 which accommodates the inner housing 15. When the rear
folder 25 is locked to the outer housing 23, the inner housing 15 is
regulated from dropping, and the shielded electric wire 37 which is
derived from the inner housing 15 is supported.

[0040] In a mating connector 87 shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the outside of a
mating outer housing 89 is covered by an outer shield shell 91. Board
connecting parts 93 are vertically provided at the outer shield shell 91,
and the board connecting parts 93 are soldered to through holes which are
formed on a board of an electronic device not shown in the figure and
connected to the ground of the board at the same time. A connector
fitting space 95 for receiving the shielded connector 11 is formed inside
the mating outer housing 89. A mating inner housing 97 is provided in the
connector fitting space 95, and the mating inner housing 97 accommodates
the tabs 31 which are a plurality of mating male terminals. The tabs 31
are connected to a predetermined circuit when lead parts 99 of the tabs
31 are soldered to through holes of the board not shown in the figure.
The tabs 31 will be connected to the terminals 13 of the shielded
connector 11. The mating inner housing 97 is covered by a mating inner
shell 101. Board connecting parts 93 are vertically provided at the
mating inner shell 101, and the board connecting parts 93 are soldered to
through holes which are formed on the board not shown in the figure and
connected to the ground of the board at the same time.

[0041] The shield shell cover 21 which covers the shielded wire exposure
part 86 of the shielded electric wire 37 which is attached into the
shield shell 19, as shown in FIG. 5, has a pair of insertion lap parts 22
which are inserted between two side surfaces 18 of the inner housing 15
and two side surfaces 72 of the shield part 77. A backlash preventing
unit which prevents a shake is provided by engaging the housing top
surface 80 and the housing bottom surface 90 of the inner housing 15 with
the shield part 77 opposite to the housing top surface 80 and housing
bottom surface 90.

[0042] The backlash preventing unit according to the present embodiment,
as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, includes a retaining projection 82 which is
projected on the housing top surface 80 of the inner housing 15, a
retaining recess 74 which is formed at the upper back edge (back edge) 78
of the shield part 77 and clamps the retaining projection 82 in the
widthwise direction, a plurality of (in the illustrated example, three)
position regulation locking parts 92 which are projected on the housing
bottom surface 90, and a plurality of position regulation holes 96 which
are formed in the shell bottom surface 94 of the shield shell 19 and
locks the position regulation locking parts 92.

[0043] Thereby, the inner housing 15 is positioned and held at the shield
shell 19 on the top and the bottom surfaces, and a shake can be avoided
definitely. It is needless to say that not only the structure of the
present embodiment but also various kinds of forms can be adopted as the
backlash prevention mechanism, based on the purpose of the present
disclosure.

[0044] Next, an assembling procedure of the shielded connector 11 having
the above structure and the effects of the shielded connector 11 are
described.

[0045] To assemble the shielded connector 11, as shown in FIG. 1, the
terminals 13 are crimped and connected to the ends of the plurality of
shielded wires of the shielded electric wire 37 to form the terminal
installing shielded electric wire 39. The terminals 13 of the terminal
installing shielded electric wire 39 are inserted into the terminal
accommodating chambers 49 of the inner housing 15, respectively.

[0046] Then, the front folder 17 is assembled to the inner housing 15 from
front. As shown in FIG. 2, the inner housing 15 to which the front folder
17 is attached is installed into the shield part 77 of the shield shell
19. The internal height of the shield shell 19, as shown in H of FIG. 7,
becomes approximately the same as the overall height of the inner housing
15. Thereby, the inner housing 15 will not produce a shake inside the
shield shell 19 in the up and down direction.

[0047] The sheath part 43 of the shielded electric wire 37, which is
derived from the rear of the inner housing 15 which is attached by being
inserted into the shield shell 19, is crimped and fixed with the barrel
part 79 of the shield shell 19.

[0048] In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the retaining projection 82 which
is formed on the housing top surface 80 of the inner housing 15 is
engaged with the retaining recess 74 which is formed at the upper back
edge 78 of the shield part 77, and the inner housing 15 is fixed so that
a shake in the widthwise direction (direction of the arrow in FIG. 3) is
regulated. At the same time, the position regulation locking parts 92 of
the housing bottom surface 90 (refer to FIG. 4) also lock the position
regulation holes 96 of the shell bottom surface 94, and a shake is
regulated.

[0049] Thus, because the operation of caulking the sheath part 43 in the
barrel part 79 is performed when the inner housing 15 is definitely
fixed, a highly precise caulking becomes possible.

[0050] The shielded wire exposure part 86, as shown in FIG. 5, is covered
when the shield shell cover 21 is installed.

[0051] The shield shell cover 21 is installed by inserting the insertion
lap parts 22 at two sides into gaps 84 which are formed between the two
side surfaces 18 of the inner housing 15 and the two side surfaces 72 of
the shield shell 19. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the insertion lap parts
22 of the shield shell cover 21 will not stick out to the outside of the
shield shell 19. In this state, the shield shell 19 is attached by being
inserted into the outer housing 23. Finally, when the rear folder 25 is
locked to the outer housing 23 which accommodates the inner housing 15,
the assembling of the shielded connector 11 is completed.

[0052] As described above, in order to downsize the shielded connector 11
of the embodiment, the inner housing 15 is formed to be smaller than the
shield shell 19 to a degree that the insertion lap parts 22 of the shield
shell cover 21 can be inserted to the outside of the two side surfaces
18.

[0053] Thus, when the sheath part 43 is caulked to the barrel part 79 of
the shield shell 19 to which the inner housing 15 is installed, the gaps
84, which have a thickness of the boards of the insertion lap parts 22,
are formed between the inner housing 15 and the shield shell 19. However,
when the retaining projection 82 and the position regulation locking
parts 92 of the inner housing 15 lock with the retaining recess 74 and
position regulation holes 96 of the shield shell 19, the inner housing 15
will not produce a shake inside the shield shell 19 in the widthwise
direction. Thereby, a highly precise caulking becomes possible.

[0054] Therefore, according to the shielded connector 11 of the present
embodiment, when the shielded electric wire 37 is caulked to the barrel
part 79 of the shield shell 19, a shake of the installed inner housing 15
inside the shield shell 19 can be controlled. Thus, the inner housing 15
can be smaller than the shield shell 19 and the shielded connector 11 can
be downsized.

[0055] The shielded connector of the invention is not restricted to the
above-described embodiment, and suitable modifications, improvements and
the like can be made. Moreover, the materials, shapes, dimensions,
numbers, installation places, and the like of the components in the above
embodiments are arbitrarily set as far as the invention can be attained,
and not particularly restricted.

[0056] The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No.
2011-158290 filed on Jul. 19, 2011, the contents of which are
incorporated herein by reference.

Patent applications by YAZAKI CORPORATION

Patent applications in class Outer shield surrounds inner shield (i.e., single connector with one hollow shield about another hollow shield)

Patent applications in all subclasses Outer shield surrounds inner shield (i.e., single connector with one hollow shield about another hollow shield)